[MPlayer-users] [BUGREPORT] Crash when REAL used with any -aop options

[The Wanderer]

Reimar Döffinger wrote:

>>> What is very bad? I find 90 a reasonable default, no need to make
>>> adjustments for broken things default ;-)
>> 
>> I do not find "near maximum" to be a reasonable default, at least
>> not without considerable justification. Even if 90 worked
>> flawlessly for all cases (including the ones you've just dismissed
>> on grounds of brokenness) - and I'd note that part of the reason
>> why I wanted volume control in the first place is because I have
>> some files (non-adjusted DVD rips IIRC) which are far too quiet
>> even with system-max volume otherwise - I would still not be happy
>> with having the default be near either extreme.
>> 
>> In any truly sane setup (leaving things like sound systems for
>> public auditoria and so forth aside), IMO, a volume of "50% of max"
>> will be just about equivalent to "normal listening volume"; this
>> allows the maximum possible flexibility in both directions, whether
>> higher for easier listening at a distance (or overcoming atypical
>> background noise) or lower to avoid distracting people to whom it
>> *is* background noise.
> 
> This may make sense for analog devices, but not in the digital world.
> Unless the source is badly mastered it is impossible to increase the
> volume by more than 10%.

...bwah?

I have, unless my memory is being *far* more finicky than usual, in the
past needed to increase the volume of a file by at least 30% of its
initial value to get it up to reasonable levels; this did not produce
noticeable artifacting, at least not as far as I could tell. (I don't
remember exactly how I did the volume adjustment, but it would have had
to be either by a system volume control or via -aop volume.)

In any case, *any* audio on a computer would seem to be by necessity "in
the digital world", meaning that the exact same restriction should apply
to *all* volume controls (system volume included) - and unless the
'actual' hard-coded volume in most audio-only files I have is almost
freakishly high, that does not seem to fit with my experience.

> The bias towards lower volumes seems very justified to me, as
> lowering the volume causes hardly any problems, while rising it will
> cause artifacts.

...this may be simply a case where my instincts do not match up with
rational reality. I'm tempted to say "if the users want to raise the
volume high enough to cause artifacts, let them", but that has the snap
counter "they can, just change the default", and even I'm not populist
enough to be comfortable arguing that that barrier is too high to
warrant raising in such a comparatively unlikely case.

> Actually the right solution would be to setup you amplifier to a high
> enough amplification and only _decrease_ the volume with filters
> ;-).

...I don't think I *have* a (hardware) amplifier; certainly I have no
hardware volume control. (If I did, I probably wouldn't be using
software volume control, and we wouldn't be having this conversation.)

In any case, the reason why I went looking for MPlayer software volume
control in the first place was because of a set of AVI files for which -
even if I set every other available volume control to its maximum - the
audio was still too quiet for comfortable listening. I strongly doubt
that a 10% volume increase would be enough to compensate for that
effect, particularly if I did *not* raise every other volume control to
its maximum - which I do very much prefer not to do for purposes of
normal operation.

-- 
       The Wanderer

Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any
side of it.

A government exists to serve its citizens, not to control them.